The NCGA is planning to be back in session this Saturday at 10:30 am. Stay tuned for plans to greet them. We'll share details when we get them. Plan to be there if you can!

As the North Carolina General Assembly's (NCGA) Short Session began on May 16th, 20,000 teachers, parents, students, and other advocates marched for educational funding. That afternoon, 3000 teachers were allowed into the legislative building to speak with legislators. Their voices were heard echoing from the gallery, "Remember, remember, we vote in November!"

Did they accomplish anything? Not as much as they wanted, by a long shot. Less than a month later, Governor Cooper vetoed the budget citing the NCGA's lack of investment in education as a major reason. Leaders of the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) say that they are not surprised that their requests were not embraced by the Republican-led legislature. Defunding public schools has been a trend in North Carolina since 2011 despite organized efforts such as the historical March for Students and Rally for Respect. Though their protests are nonpartisan, they say the goal is to elect “pro-education” candidates in November.

So how do they plan to accomplish this, what’s next? Mark Jewell, president of NCAE, says the group will hold an
“education summer” to educate the community by knocking on doors and registering voters. In an interview with the News & Observer, he elaborates, "We’re going to make sure that we have a turnout that we’ve never seen before in a mid-term election and that it’s going to be public education that drives the turnout. . . . It’s not a Republican issue. It’s not a Democratic issue. It’s a North Carolina issue."